Following consultation with industry bodies, the Australian Government has now opened a public consultation on the design of a legislated prominence framework.
The framework will seek to ensure that Australian TV services can easily be found on connected TV devices, allowing Australians to enjoy free coverage of national events; including news, entertainment and sport.
Due to the large uptake of Smart TVs and other connected devices in Australia, the Government wants to ensure that local TV services continue to be available to audiences. Earlier this year they engaged with a range of industry stakeholders, including the members of the Future of Broadcasting Working Group, to seek initial views of the framework.
The initial consultations informed the development of a proposals paper which canvasses a range of specific design issues, including:
- the TV services to be afforded prominence under the new framework, and the devices that should be regulated;
- the entities that should be responsible for compliance with these new obligations; and
- the regulatory model at the heart of the framework and the legislative mechanism to implement it.
Public input is sought to inform the development of the framework. This will ensure the new framework best meets the needs of every Australian.
The consultation process will close on Friday, 24 February 2023 with the final design of the framework expected to be finalised by mid-2023.
